Ayurveda Meets Italian: Sara Garofalo’s Family-Style Cooking

Chef Sara Garofalo cooks Italian food the way her Calabrian grandmother taught her, with one significant difference: she layers in Ayurvedic principles. The result is comfort food (lasagna, pork ribs, tiramisú) that is gentler on digestion and adjusted with anti-inflammatory spices.

4 Questions for Sara Garofalo

What drew you to Ayurveda? “Family illness. Several family members had digestive issues that conventional medicine treated with prescriptions; Ayurveda treated with food and slowing down. Within a year of changing how we cooked, everyone felt better.”

How do you adjust traditional Italian recipes? “Three small changes. First, ghee instead of butter when possible; gentler on the gut. Second, add warming spices (cumin, fennel, cinnamon, turmeric) to dishes that traditionally have none. Third, family-style serving so everyone eats slowly and listens to their body.”

Is this still really Italian food? “100 percent. The bones (the pasta, the sauce technique, the family table) are completely Italian. The seasoning is adjusted. My grandmother would still recognize every dish.”

What is the simplest Ayurvedic principle for a home cook? “Slow down. Cook with attention. Eat sitting down with people you love. Half of what Ayurveda teaches is about the surrounding environment of a meal, not the food itself.”

3 of Sara’s Recipes to Try!

Ayurvedic-Italian Lasagna

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 1 lb lasagna noodles
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 15 oz ricotta
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• Fresh basil

1. Cook noodles per package directions.
2. Brown beef with onion, garlic, cumin, fennel, and turmeric.
3. Add marinara. Simmer 10 minutes.
4. Mix ricotta with eggs and 1 cup mozzarella.
5. Layer in a 9×13 dish: meat sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella. Repeat twice.
6. Top with parmesan.
7. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes covered, 15 minutes uncovered.

Ayurvedic-Italian Pork Ribs with Cherry BBQ Sauce

Ribs: 2 racks baby back ribs, dry-rubbed with smoked paprika, cumin, salt, brown sugar, garlic powder. Roast at 275°F for 3 hours.

Cherry BBQ sauce: 2 cups frozen cherries, 1 cup tomato paste, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, salt. Simmer 30 minutes, puree.

Brush ribs with sauce in last 30 minutes of roasting.

Ayurvedic-Italian Tiramisú

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 2 cups strong espresso, cooled
• 2 tablespoons honey (instead of sugar)
• 16 oz mascarpone
• 1 cup whipped cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 24 ladyfinger cookies
• Cocoa powder for dusting

1. Whisk mascarpone, whipped cream, honey, vanilla, and cardamom.
2. Dip each ladyfinger briefly in espresso.
3. Layer half in an 8×8 dish. Top with half the cream mixture.
4. Repeat. Dust with cocoa.
5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

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Sara Garofalo

Sara Garofalo is a certified Ayurveda counselor, chef, and Intuitive Health instructor. Her holistic approach helps women break unhealthy (and subconscious) patterns to become more intuitive about their bodies. Garofalo's first cookbook, Mangia!, was published in January 2023. Learn more at loveholisticliving.com/